Volubilis (Latin pronunciation:[wɔˈɫuːbɪlɪs]; Arabic: وليلي, romanized: walīlī; Berber languages: ⵡⵍⵉⵍⵉ, romanized: wlili) is a partly-excavated Berber-Roman city in Morocco situated near the city of Meknes that may have been the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania, at least from the time of King Juba II. Before Volubilis, the capital of the kingdom may have been at Gilda.[1][2]
Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC onward as a Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectares (100 acres) with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, temple and triumphal arch. Its prosperity, which was derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors.
The city fell to local tribes around 285 and was never retaken by Rome because of its remoteness and indefensibility on the south-western border of the Roman Empire. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years, first as a Latinised Christian community, then as an early Islamic settlement. In the late 8th century it became the seat of Idris ibn Abdallah, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty of Morocco. By the 11th century Volubilis had been abandoned after the seat of power was relocated to Fes. Much of the local population was transferred to the new town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, about 5 km (3.1 mi) from Volubilis.
The ruins remained substantially intact until they were devastated by an earthquake in the mid-18th century and subsequently looted by Moroccan rulers seeking stone for building Meknes. It was not until the latter part of the 19th century that the site was definitively identified as that of the ancient city of Volubilis. During and after the period of French rule over Morocco, about half of the site was excavated, revealing many fine mosaics, and some of the more prominent public buildings and high-status houses were restored or reconstructed. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".
labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis aevum ("It flows and will flow, swirling on forever.") In Classical Latin, the "v" in "volubilis" was pronounced like a...
diarrhea. "Petrea volubilis L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-08-26. "Petrea volubilis - Purple Wreath"...
Plukenetia volubilis, commonly known as sacha inchi, sacha peanut, mountain peanut, Inca nut or Inca-peanut, is a perennial plant in the family Euphorbiaceae...
Stephanotis volubilis, synonyms including Dregea volubilis, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native from north-east Pakistan eastwards...
and Nicotiana. Agrotis volubilisvolubilis Agrotis volubilis fumipennis Anweiler, G. G. (2007). "Species Details Agrotis volubilis". University of Alberta...
species, named it after its twining (volubilis in Latin) growth habit, using the synonymous name Raphionacme volubilis. It is a woody climbing plant reaching...
Secamone volubilis is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to the islands of Réunion and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. (in French)...
Rhynchosia volubilis is a plant species in the genus Rhynchosia. Tergallic acid dilactone can be found in R. volubilis seeds. Kinjo, J.; Nagao, T.; Tanaka...
Actinidia polygama (also known as silver vine, matatabi and cat powder) is a species of kiwifruit in the family Actinidiaceae. It grows in the mountainous...
Partitions of the aqueous extract of T. volubilis reduce the activity of the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin. "Tragia volubilis L. | Plants of the World Online |...
Cyphia volubilis is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cyphia, endemic to the Western Cape. It is a type of Fynbos climbing plant that uses a host...
Rhodopis volubilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a climber endemic to Puerto Rico. Rhodopis volubilis (Willd.) L.P.Queiroz...
northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or Chellah) and Volubilis to the south, and as far east as the Mulucha (or Malva) river. Its capital...
Compsolechia volubilis is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1922. It is found in Peru. The wingspan is about 11 mm...
pressing it from the seeds and flesh of the fruit from the Plukenetia volubilis, or pracaxi, a tree native to the area surrounding the Amazon River. Sacha...
Salpichlaena volubilis is a species of fern belonging to the family Blechnaceae. It is native to the Magdalena River Basin of Colombia. It is most noteworthy...
Utricularia volubilis, the twining bladderwort, is a perennial, affixed aquatic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia (family Lentibulariaceae)...
Thunbergia roxburghia Nees Thunbergia scandens Pers. ex Nees Thunbergia subsagittata Blanco Thunbergia volubilis Pers. Roxburghia rostrata Russell ex Nees...
of Brixia (Brescia) Capitolium of Constantinople Capitoline Temple at Volubilis Capitolium of Cosa Richardson, L. (1992). A New Topographical Dictionary...
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